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Choir welcomes new staff with open arms With no returning faculty, choir department begins year with a new leader and accompanist By Shelby Steichen Two new faces greeted choir students at the beginning of the school year. Since the departure of choir director Cathy Crispino and accompanist Joyce Jordan, Dwayne Dunn and pianist Vanessa Thomas have inherited the choral program. Dunn taught in Texas public schools for seven years and spent five years teaching at the University of Arizona. Dunn came to LHS from Olathe East High School, where he worked for 11 years. “When the opportunity came, I was anxious to move closer to home,” Dunn said. “[LHS has] a fabulous choral program, so I knew I was stepping into something good.” Although Dunn has experience with choir, transi-
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tioning to a new school is always difficult. “You don’t know all the things you need to know, so it’s a learning process,” Dunn said. “[I have to] learn all the students’ names, and what their singing ability is like and how well they sight-read, how [to] order a bus and all that kind of stuff.” Thomas came to LHS from the Choral program at Free State. “I decided to try something new,” Thomas said. “It kind of fell into place.” Playing piano is only one of Thomas’ musical talents. “I actually got my degree at KU in vocal performance as an opera major. That’s actually mostly what I do,” Thomas said. Every year Thomas travels to Minneapolis, Minn., to perform in a holiday show called Jingle Bell Doc.
“I sing with Minneapolis Symphony, and then Doc Severinsen plays,” Thomas said. “He’s like 85 so no one has heard of him, but he used to play trumpet on the Tonight Show.” Becoming a new member of the Choir department was slightly nerve racking for Thomas. “I was a little concerned about [changing schools] because I thought, ‘What if nobody likes me here?’ because I had a lot of student friends at Free State,” Thomas said. “But so far everybody’s been great.” Thomas has also taken on the job of managing the music library at LHS. “It’s been a learning experience just learning about the library filing system, figuring out where everything is located and getting music out to various people,” Thomas said. “Even middle school teachers will email me for music.”
Singing along, choir teacher Dwayne Dunn directs his fifth hour A Capella Choir class.
Photo by Shelby Steichen Choir students also faced their own difficulties with adjusting to a new teacher. “My first impression of [Dunn] was at state choir,” senior Cal Young said. “He was talking to a huge group, and honestly, I was a little intimidated. He just seems really important, and he is.” Despite the large shoes Dunn had to fill, students have positive outlooks. “Dr. Dunn seems like a great man for the job,” Young said. “He was Mrs. Crispino’s first choice, so I have a lot of faith in him.” Continued on page 2
Vol. 123, Issue 1, Sept. 12, 2012